U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,116,357; 2,410,549 and 3,663,646 disclose venetian blinds having a wand operator for tilting the blind slats and in which the lift cords for raising the blinds extend through the wand. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,116,357, the wand is connected to a lever attached to the headrail of a venetian blind to tilt the headrail in response to lengthwise movement of the wand, and the lift cords extend downwardly through the wand and out the lower end to enable the lower ends of the lift cords to be manipulated by hand to raise and lower the blind. U.S. Pat. 2,410,549 uses a cord and pulley arrangement for tilting the slats in response to turning of the wand and the operating ends of the lift cords are attached to the lower end of the wand so that the lower portion of the wand must be attached and moved to raise and lower the blind. U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,646 discloses a wand connected to a tilt mechanism through a worm and worm gear drive so that the slats can be tilted in response to rotation of the wand. In this patent, the lift cords extend downwardly through the wand and out the lower end to enable the lower ends of the lift cords to manipulated by hand for raising and lowering of the blind, and a cord lock is provided at the lower end of the wand to lock the cords to the lower end of the wand. In each of these patents, the lift cords must extend out from the lower end of the wand a distance at least equal to the height of the blind when the blind is raised, to enable hand control of the cords during movement of the blind from a fully lowered to a fully raised condition. The dangling ends of the lift cords are not only aesthetically undesirable but also presents a potential safety hazard to children that can reach and play with such cords.